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Love cake batter flavor? Make my Christmas Cake Batter Cookies instead of buying the ones at the pink bakery – these are a copycat recipe and are even better than those! Soft sugar cookies with a cake batter frosting, all dressed up with holiday colors!

A close-up of a frosted sugar cookie topped with swirled vanilla icing and red, green, and white sprinkles, set on a parchment paper background with other cookies nearby.

I love making Crumbl copycat recipes, like the pink sugar cookie (my fav) or the all-year cake batter cookies with rainbow sprinkles, and even churro cookies (in my cookbook).

When brainstorming Christmas cookies I knew I needed to share these because they’re SO good, they deserve to be made for your holiday platters and cookie exchanges. The copycat recipe is soft with crunchy red and green sprinkles and a swirled cake batter frosting – you can make them jumbo or mini, just like at the store.

Labeled baking ingredients on a white surface: sugar, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, cream cheese, butter, egg, holiday sprinkles, milk, flour, and powdered sugar.

How to make Christmas Cake Batter Cookies

  1. The base of the cookie dough is a riff on my favorite drop sugar cookies. Instead of using cream of tartar and baking soda, I use baking powder instead. This gives the cookies their soft cake-like texture.
  2. I love using both granulated and brown sugars in cookies for flavor but also for moisture – brown sugar keeps them soft.
  3. The star of the recipe is the cake batter extract, which you can buy at most grocery stores or on amazon. This gives all that cake flavor without having to use cake mix.
  4. Use red and green jimmies (the rod-like sprinkles) for best results. I love cake mate from the grocery store, wilton brand, or this brand from Amazon.
  5. The frosting is a simple buttercream cookie frosting with cake extract. To get that Crumbl swirl I used an open round tip.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions and below the recipe card for process shots.

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A frosted sugar cookie with red and green sprinkles sits on a surface, with a bite taken out of it. Other similar cookies and scattered sprinkles are visible in the background.
  • You can FREEZE these cookies frosted! Just place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or two. Then stack between sheets of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container. Unstack before thawing.
  • Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop for mini cookies or 3-4 tablespoons for the regular Crumbl size.
  • Use a round piping tip for the frosting (smaller for the smaller cookies).
A close-up of a frosted sugar cookie topped with swirled vanilla icing and red, green, and white sprinkles, set on a parchment paper background with other cookies nearby.

Christmas Cake Batter Cookies Recipe

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Copycat Christmas Cake Batter Cookies! This easy recipe is perfect for the holidays – make these copycat cookies at home – they’re better than Crumbl!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 42 cookies
Serving Size 1 cookie
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Ingredients
 

COOKIES:

  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups (492g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (339g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cup (250g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons cake batter extract
  • 1 cup holiday sprinkles

FROSTING:

  • 1 cup (226g )unsalted butter, softened
  • 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cake batter extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a second cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Whisk together baking powder, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add granulated and brown sugars and mix on low speed until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in egg and cake batter extract and mix on medium speed until combined.
  • Slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until the batter is smooth and comes together. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing.
  • Slowly mix in sprinkles.
  • Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop 2 or 3 tablespoon balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Space them about 3 or 4 inches apart, depending on size. Press them gently with the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten.
  • Bake 13-16 minutes for 2-tablespoon size or 18-20 for 3 tablespoon size.
  • The edges will be a light golden and the tops will no longer be glossy. Let cool completely before frosting.
  • To make frosting: Beat butter until smooth with a stand or hand mixer in a very large bowl. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until crumbly, then add salt and extract. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and mix, until smooth and fluffy, adding more cream as needed for desired consistency.
  • Frost the cookies as desired and top with more sprinkles. To frost them like Crumbl does, use a pastry bag with a round tip and spiral the frosting.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 0.004mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Step by Step Photos

A stand mixer with a glass bowl is blending dough with visible flour and orange zest. Next to the mixer are two packs of Challenge unsalted butter on a white marble countertop.
A stand mixer with a bowl containing flour and butter sits on a white countertop, next to two sticks of Challenge brand butter.
A stand mixer with cookie dough in a glass bowl sits on a white countertop next to two packs of Challenge Butter.
A metal mixing bowl filled with cookie dough mixed with colorful sprinkles sits on a white, marbled countertop.
A hand pressing down cookie dough with a glass on a baking tray lined with a silicone mat. The dough has colorful sprinkles and is arranged in rows, ready to be baked. The person is wearing a smartwatch.
  1. It’s easiest to make these in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
  3. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy then add eggs and extract.
  4. Mix in dry ingredients.
  5. Stir in sprinkles.
  6. Scoop desired size cookies and flatten with the bottom of a glass.
  7. Bake until light golden. Cool then frost as desired.

Favorite Christmas Cookies

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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